Chapter 111: The Changing Situation

"Boss, I heard that the wealthy Young Master Ye died that night!" a lackey said in a low voice, leaning in close to Kun Jiu's ear as he entered the room.

"Who did it?" Kun Jiu asked calmly, showing no sign of shock.

"Don't know. All we know is his neck was snapped," the lackey replied.

Kun Jiu fell silent for a moment, waving his hand to dismiss the masseuse.

The lackey added, "Boss, do you think it could've been that bastard Lu?"

Kun Jiu glanced at his underling, sat up, and adjusted the sling holding his plaster-cast arm around his neck.

"Boss, I just can't stand that bastard. Say the word, and I'll take some guys to hack him to pieces," the lackey said, eager to show his loyalty.

"Hmph! All you know is hack, hack, hack. How are you any different from that punk? Just because you can fight doesn't mean you won't die," Kun Jiu scolded.

"Boss, whatever you say, I'll do," the lackey said.

"Go! Leak some word to the Wang family. Let them know that Ye was killed, and Wang Huawen might very well be next," Kun Jiu instructed.

"Brilliant, Boss!" The lackey immediately gave a thumbs-up in praise, then backed out of the room to carry out the order.

***

The Wang family, who controlled the local judiciary and law enforcement, learned of Ye Wuhua's death even earlier than Kun Jiu, though they did not connect it to Wang Huawen at first.

Wang Huawen lay in a private hospital room with a broken arm. However, he had not reported it to the police, nor would he say who had broken it.

Even if he kept quiet, his parents would naturally investigate. It was not difficult; they only had to grab any random thug from the bar and question him to find out.

Once they got the details, the Wang family had no intention of pursuing the matter immediately. Although they possessed the official power to do so, Wang Huawen was clearly in the wrong if the matter were brought into the open.

The Wang family had plenty of ways to settle scores later, so they were in no hurry.

***

However, when the news of Ye Wuhua's death was embellished by the members of the New East Society and reached the ears of Wang Huawen's parents, they immediately read several layers of meaning into it.

To protect Wang Huawen, regardless of whether there was any evidence, the higher-ups immediately ordered that Lu Feng be placed under control.

The wording was precise: "placed under control" did not mean arrest. It required no arrest warrant, bypassed legal procedures, and left no police record.

While Lu Feng was seeing patients at the Yun'an Clinic, a group of police officers suddenly burst in, chased the patients out, and without formally arresting him, cornered him in the consulting room, refusing to let him leave.

Su Dao'an rushed over as soon as he was notified, but it was useless. Even calling in a lawyer yielded no results.

***

The Wang family still wanted to lock Lu Feng up, so they sought to dig up the incident where he had assaulted police officers at the station.

Back then, Lu Feng had only acted in self-defense at the station to resist beatings from two officers, and Zhou Zhengqian had helped settle the matter. When the Wang family attempted to revive the case, the news quickly reached Zhou Zhengqian's ears.

Seeing that even the lawyer could not get the police to release Lu Feng, Su Dao'an had no choice but to turn to Zhou Zhengqian for help, hoping he would intervene and mediate out of gratitude for Lu Feng curing Elder Zhou.

***

Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of the police, Lu Feng received a message: "He has bodyguards. Failed."

The message was from Xia Yubing. It meant she had gone to kill Wang Huawen, but because he was guarded, she had failed to strike.

In truth, Lu Feng had already anticipated this outcome the moment the police stormed his clinic. Since the Wang family had the foresight to place him under control, they would certainly protect Wang Huawen.

***

At the Wang family villa in the Sea Breeze Villa District.

Upon hearing that her son had been attacked at the hospital, Wang Huawen's mother rushed there in a panic. When she returned, she pointed at her husband, Wang Yongye, and shrieked, "You useless old fool! Your son was almost beaten to death, and you do nothing! That guy named Lu Feng must be put behind bars. Put him in jail right now!"

"What do you know? Without evidence, how can we jail him? Besides, the police have been watching him all day. The one who attacked our son wasn't him!" Wang Yongye said with a dark expression.

"Our son just had his arm broken by that Lu fellow, and you didn't arrest him. Now someone is trying to kill your son, and you still do nothing! What's the point of you being the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee? What use is it!" his wife shrieked.

"Shut up! What Huawen did was disgraceful in the first place. If we bring it into the light, no one benefits!" Wang Yongye snapped.

"I don't care! He is my only son! If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive you!" she screamed.

"Hmph! Useless woman, go watch over our son at the hospital! I don't need you to teach me how to do my job!" Wang Yongye snorted angrily.

***

At the Zhou family villa on Vista Mountain.

Zhou Fuqu walked to the door of her father Zhou Zhengqian's study, knocked gently, and entered.

Zhou Zhengqian looked up at his daughter, then lowered his head to sign a document. As he signed, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Chairman Su of Yun'an called just now. He hopes you can intervene and arrange a talk with the Wang family," Zhou Fuqu said.

Zhou Zhengqian set down his pen, interlaced his fingers, and pondered for a moment. "This Lu Feng is certainly a troublemaker. It's only been a month since that police assault incident, hasn't it? And now he's gone and beaten up the son of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Secretary. I also heard someone was killed."

Zhou Fuqu, having already investigated the matter, explained, "It's true he beat him, but only because Wang Huawen kidnapped a girl and took her to a bar, even drugging her, from what I hear. As for the murder, the forensic report says the execution was clean and professional, likely the work of a hitman. From what I know of Ye Wuhua's poor character, he had offended many people. It could have been anyone hiring an assassin."

Zhou Zhengqian stared into his daughter's eyes and smiled. "Oh? Since when did you start speaking up for this Lu boy?"

Zhou Fuqu fidgeted slightly and explained, "I'm just speaking the truth. Besides, from my interactions with Lu Feng, I don't feel he's a bad person. Just looking at how he saved my classmate last time, I can tell he has a good heart."

"Speaking of judging character, I also believe Lu Feng is not a bad man. He did indeed cure your grandfather, which makes him a benefactor of our Zhou family. A debt of gratitude must be repaid, but we must carefully weigh how we repay it. In my position, I cannot act on personal likes or dislikes. Do you think it is worth making an enemy of the Wang family for the sake of Lu Feng?" Zhou Zhengqian asked with a smile.

Purely out of sentiment, if Lu Feng had only committed some minor offense, Zhou Zhengqian could have easily resolved it. But if it meant opposing the Wang family, the gains and losses had to be re-evaluated.

Power was always ruthless. Zhou Zhengqian bore the heavy burden of the Zhou family's future; he could not make an enemy of a powerful family just for one individual.

Zhou Fuqu hesitated, then spoke again. "Father, last time Wang Huawen accidentally let slip that he knew who was behind Grandfather's illness. So, I suspect the Wang family may have been plotting against us for a long time."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhengqian frowned and stared intently at his daughter.

"Fuqu, you are a capable child. If you were a boy, your cousins would all have to step aside. It's a pity you are a girl..." Zhou Zhengqian suddenly began to speak of Zhou Fuqu's situation.